Chapter 10 Caleb
CALEB
Being tucked away from the world is pure bliss. I’m enjoying the hell out of this. My concerns over my contract termination have been buried by every minute spent with Holly earning those mouthy retorts that drive me wild and testing all the ways to make her blush.
At least until I read the new messages from my family group chat.
Cell service has become more reliable since early this morning when I almost put my phone through the wall to stop the alarm dragging me from sleep before dawn, then remembered my motivation for getting my ass out of bed before the sun’s up.
I’m expecting another check in from my family. What I get instead is a link from my sister to a sports news site with a headline that reads One Half of the Star Adler Brothers League Combo—Not Fit for the Culture?
Fucking vultures. They’re still at it?
The worst part of this is that no matter what, people will remember this about me. The fans. Whatever team I end up with in the future. Any staff within that organization.
Once an opinion hits the internet, it spreads like wildfire. Little can be done to douse those flames, and no one cares to know the true story when there’s juicy drama to entertain them instead.
I don’t bother clicking on the link. My brother’s on damage control as the only one in my family I told the full truth to.
Elijah
Layla… [gravestone emoji]
Mom
What is this? You know your father and I don’t like to see these nasty articles. They’re fish bait.
Elijah
Clickbait, Mom. It’s clickbait.
Layla
Wait. Shit. Wrong chat.
Caleb
Don’t bother unsending it. I’ve already seen.
Layla
Sorry. I was texting it to Eli to ask what it meant.
I massage the bridge of my nose with a sigh. This is on me for not telling my family more details about the situation. All I explained to my parents and sister was that I’d been fired from my team and would be home for a while until Trevon strategizes my next steps as a free agent.
Elijah
It’s bullshit, that’s what it means. Ignore those fuckers.
Caleb
I was until someone gave me the holiday gift of shoving it in my face.
Layla
I’m sorryyy!
Caleb
Don’t worry about it. They’re all wrong anyway.
Elijah
Damn right they are. You’ve been offline, but fans across the whole league are pissed.
My stomach clenches. Does he mean they’re mad at me? He’s still typing. I thumb the edge of the phone as the three dots dance forever.
“Here, taste this. I can’t decide if I want to make these for my winter menu or not.” Holly appears at my shoulder from behind the couch with the desserts she’s been baking all morning.
The uneasy tension in my stomach loosens and I can breathe again.
I grasp her wrist to bring the stuffed flaky pastry covered with nuts and a drizzle of caramel to my mouth for a bite. As it melts on my tongue with bursts of cinnamon and pecan, my gaze locks with hers. I groan appreciatively at the buttery rich flavor.
“Well? What are your thoughts?”
“Fuck, that’s good.” I keep hold of her wrist and go for another bite.
She licks her lips and looks away. “If you let go of my hand, I’ll bring you a plate.”
“Or you could feed the rest to me?” I waggle my brows and pat my lap. “This seat’s not taken.”
She scoffs. “Yeah? I could shove it down your throat in one go.”
“Give it to me, baby.” I open wide, shoulders shaking with suppressed amusement.
She crams most of the piece in my mouth and walks off while I bend over to catch the rest, admiring the sway of her amazing curvy ass.
My brother’s answer finally pops up in the family chat after I’ve downed it and picked the crumbs off my old college sweatshirt.
Elijah
You might not be able to say anything about the press release your team made glossing over the situation, but the girl you helped made a post on her social media.
It’s being shared everywhere. The truth will come out that you weren’t beating up your teammate in a drunken bar brawl like they’re trying to spin it.
Word’s already spreading amongst other plays in the league.
All the guys on my team are just as pissed for you.
Dad
What’s this got to do with a girl?
Caleb
One of my younger teammates was putting his hands on her when she was saying no. I put an end to it.
Dad
I see. I’m proud of you for doing the right thing, son. What does this have to do with you leaving the team?
Caleb
The kid’s family has money and swept it all under the rug. I got the boot because the media was already reporting about the fight he started with me for stepping in.
Mom
That’s horrible. It isn’t right.
Layla
Wow, what the hell? How can they get away with that?
Elijah
Money is power.
Layla
I hate this.
Caleb
It fucking sucks, but just ignore the media and don’t talk to anyone weird that emails or calls you. Trevon’s got it handled for me and so does his legal team. I don’t want to play for a team that keeps a piece of trash like Chet on their roster, anyway.
Layla
True. I’m gonna make a fake account to troll him hard.
I read a text Elijah sends me separately from the group chat saying he’ll personally pull a penalty against Chet at his game scheduled against Seattle after the Christmas break.
A smirk twists my lips. The baby brother who followed after me in everything my entire life all the way to the NHL is the one fighting my battles now.
Ready to retreat back to my bubble with Holly, I shut the world out again by pushing my phone between the couch cushions. My attention shifts to her dancing around the kitchen and writing notes on her tablet.
I amble over and brace my hands on the island next to her. She doesn’t look up from writing a note on the sketch of one of her pastries on her tablet.
“You’ve been baking up a storm,” I say.
“You know, at first I thought this sucked. I don’t like sitting still and being snowed in feels like I’m trapped in place.
But actually?” She stops writing to turn a beaming expression on me that steals my breath.
“This isn’t so bad. I’m getting so much work done!
Usually I squeeze the seasonal menu changes in between custom orders or late at night.
But I planned out the entire next year!”
“Impressive. If you’re ahead, we should get out of here,” I suggest.
She laughs as she swipes through her sketched recipes. “And go where? The cars are out of commission still. I don’t think we’d get far on foot.”
“When I was clearing out the shed for Greta, I found the old sleds.” I squeeze her shoulders and give her a teasing shake. “What do you say? Race me down the hill like we used to?”
She slumps against me, sighing nostalgically at the idea of playing in the snow. “God, I haven’t been sledding in years. I was going to start making ideas for the cookie orders waiting in my inbox, though.”
The strong desire to wrap her in my arms and hold her slams into me. If I do, I might never stop hugging her.
“It’s your vacation. You can’t work the whole way through, or it defeats the purpose.” I bring my lips to her ear and murmur encouragingly. “It’s okay to take a break, sugar. Come outside in the snow with me.”
Her breath hitches and she shivers. Peeking over her shoulder through her lashes, she smiles.
“Okay. But I’m totally beating you.”
Warm laughter rolls out of me. “We’ll see about that. Go check the closet upstairs for Layla’s spare snow clothes. I’ll get the sleds ready.”